Lie back and think of England
Encyclopedia
"Lie back and think of England" is an English
saying with roughly the same meaning as "grit one's teeth", i.e. put up with what is happening, though this comparison is complicated by the statement's seemingly sexual undertone. It was used both in England and among expatriates outside the country when conditions were difficult. It is given as encouragement to do something unpalatable.
, "lie back and think of England" was an instruction given to brides or women in general in the Victorian Era
regarding how to cope with the sexual demands of their husbands. While childbearing was considered a patriotic duty, women were not supposed to enjoy sexual intercourse
, and brides in particular would have been ignorant of the facts thereabout. One version of this legend has it that Queen Victoria gave this instruction to her daughter on her wedding night. According to other, perhaps less reliable, urban legends, the phrase originated in the diary of Lady Alice Hillingdon (1857–1940) in 1912:
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
saying with roughly the same meaning as "grit one's teeth", i.e. put up with what is happening, though this comparison is complicated by the statement's seemingly sexual undertone. It was used both in England and among expatriates outside the country when conditions were difficult. It is given as encouragement to do something unpalatable.
Etymology
The origins of the phrase are not clear. According to one urban legendUrban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
, "lie back and think of England" was an instruction given to brides or women in general in the Victorian Era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
regarding how to cope with the sexual demands of their husbands. While childbearing was considered a patriotic duty, women were not supposed to enjoy sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse
Sexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which a male's penis enters a female's vagina for the purposes of sexual pleasure or reproduction. The entities may be of opposite sexes, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
, and brides in particular would have been ignorant of the facts thereabout. One version of this legend has it that Queen Victoria gave this instruction to her daughter on her wedding night. According to other, perhaps less reliable, urban legends, the phrase originated in the diary of Lady Alice Hillingdon (1857–1940) in 1912:
I am happy now that George calls on my bedchamber less frequently than of old. As it is, I now endure but two calls a week, and when I hear his steps outside my door I lie down on my bed, close my eyes, open my legs, and think of England.